This one might not be a favourite to those that are fans of Karen's role in this story, she will be back, but not for a while.

Chapter 9: A letter of Leaving

Dante awoke the next day to find Fable sitting near his bed, she had an envelope in her mouth, odd, the postman usually put them into the post box, and Fable could not enter that. Dante took the envelope from Fable's mouth and rewarded her for not damaging the contents or packaging. It was a letter from Karen, now Dante understood. The letter read…

'Dear Dante,

This letter has been delivered to you by Fable because otherwise my father would have found it, he checks all my letters and phone calls now. Anyway I have to tell you about what happened last night after my father took me home.

We got into an argument because my father wanted to send me away for a while, but it hasn't changed anything, by the time you receive this letter I will have been on the first boat shipped off to somewhere with my mother, my father is taking care of the store all by himself now.

I wont be back for a while Dante, I'm not sure my father intends me to come back at all, but I will, I promise I will come back for you. You have to promise with your heart and soul that you will be ready for me Dante, that you will have a big house for us and a means of supporting me. If you love me as much as I love you, you will do this for me and prove to my father that you can take care of me when I come back.

I'm sorry but this will be my last letter until I come back, it has to be, I'm sorry. Please forgive me, and please forgive my father, he only wants what's best for me.

Love Karen

PS. I'll miss you…'

Tear smudges dotted the paper, obviously from Karen as she was writing it. This only made one thing clear to Dante; he had to extend his house, and get his life together so that he could support her when she came back…if she came back. He couldn't handle to think of it that way, she had to come back, and he could not live without her now that he knew what it was like to live with her.

He went out and did the farm chores and watered the plants, they would be ready to harvest soon. He and Fable went and gathered wood for a new chest of draws that he could put Karen's letter in to keep it safe.

Dante spent the rest of the day making the set of drawers and sanding and painting them. He painted them a blue colour to match the shelves that Karen had put together; she had been quite good with carpentry. The small house was beginning to look good. He went out to help Gotz for what was left of the day, to help with extending the house. Gotz said that it would be ready tomorrow at this rate and that Gotz would receive the extra furniture tomorrow as well and would get it moved into Dante's newly built house.

At sundown Gotz left, assuring Dante that the house would be finished tomorrow, faster than usual, but it would be finished. Dante thanked him and he went on his way. Fable got up from her resting place and walked to the entrance of the farm. Someone was coming, he had no idea who it was, but he was on his guard.

Soon a cloaked figure appeared and tossed back the hood of their cloak. The figure was Ricks mother and she was holding something in her hand.

"Here you go, this is my thanks for helping rebuild my hen pen and saving my chickens, this hen is a good one, she will lays eggs that you can hatch, I had to come by the cover of darkness because otherwise Popuri might realize and tell Rick when he comes back, if anyone asks, you bought it" She said weakly, and with that she place the hen on the ground and left. Dante followed silently without her knowing to make sure she got home ok, she did.

Back at the farm Dante place the hen in the hen house and gave it some feed. In summer he had grown lots of corn and had it turned into food so that he had as much food as the silo could hold. Tomorrow he would go get some sheep and cows and continue to breed his livestock until he had so many he would have to extend them to fit more. These were his plans to get Karen back, he just had to fulfil them and wait for her return. If she did return…